‘Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay made good on his boost to win the Best of the Super Juniors tournament on Day 9 by defeating Tiger Mask on Day 11.

The victory ties Ospreay with ‘Bone Soldier’ Taiji Ishimori for the top spot in A Block.

Ospreay bowed to Tiger Mask as he entered the ring. Before they locked up, both men bowed to each other and shook hands.

They traded move for move backing away from each other in a sign of respect and caution as the crowd cheered them on.

Tiger Mask looks on as Ospreay tries to recover from his neck injury. Photo: NJPW.

As they locked up again, Ospreay kicked Tiger Mask in the gut, laid a forearm into his back and to the jaw knocking him down. Ospreay drove a running knee to a prone Tiger Mask covering him for a one count.

A forearm rocked Tiger Mask who fell into the ropes. Tiger Mask caught Ospreay coming off the ropes driving him into the mat with a tombstone piledriver. Holding his neck, Ospreay rolled out of the ring. Young Lions swarmed him to check on his neck. Red Shoes waved Tiger Mask back.

“I can’t do it. I can’t do it,” Ospreay groaned as Red Shoes continued his count. Ospreay rolled back in at nineteen.

Tiger Mask relentlessly cranked, stomped on Ospreay’s neck. Red Shoes waved Tiger Mask off again as Ospreay lay on the apron in pain. Tiger Mask rained down kick after kick on Ospreay’s neck. Ospreay fought back with some haymakers. Ospreay went to bounce off the ropes but fell to the mat clutching his neck again. Tiger Mask nailed him with a running leg drop.

Bushi chokes out Flip Gordon with a steel chair. Photo: NJPW.

Ospreay took command again with a 619 off the top rope. A sidewalk slam of sorts earned Ospreay a two count. In a clever moment, Ospreay and Tiger Mask knocked each other out with super kicks and fell down like cartoon characters with stars spinning above their heads. Fun stuff.

On their knees, Ospreay and Tiger Mask wailed away on each other. Tearing off his elbow pads, Ospreay struck Tiger Mask with a brutal forearm smash to the face. Ospreay begged Tiger Mask to clock him back and he did. Ospreay struck Tiger Mask with a Robinson Special but Tiger Mask reversed his OsCutter wrapping Ospreay into a scissored armbar submission. Ospreay made it to the ropes to break the hold. A Sitout double underhook powerbomb got Tiger a two count.

Ospreay reversed an attempted tombstone piledriver into a corkscrew falling stunner for the three count. Tiger Mask bowed to Ospreay and the two shook hands after the match.

In other matches:

Bushi defeated Flip Gordon with the MX.

Taiji Ishimori put away ACH with an underhook double knee gutbuster.

Even after having whiskey spit in his face and kicked in the groin, Yoh put away Suzuki-gun’s Yoshinobu Kanemaru.